Regional

11:04 am

Sun January 6, 2013

Texas Sheriff To Dissolve Drug Unit

A South Texas sheriff says he will dissolve a drug-fighting task force whose members — including the sheriff's son — are at the center of a federal corruption probe. Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino tells The McAllen Monitor that he plans to meet with command staff Monday to hear the results of an internal investigation. Then he'll disband the so-called Panama Unit.

Former Mission Police officer Jonathan Trevino, the sheriff's son, and two Hidalgo deputies who worked on the interagency unit were arrested in December on charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Another Mission officer from another task force was also charged.

Prosecutors say they accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to guard cocaine shipments.